


Haunting Memories

by TheMusicMeister



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Multi, Psychological Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:26:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22037020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMusicMeister/pseuds/TheMusicMeister
Summary: It is said that some memories fade nearly as quickly as we make them, and yet others linger for what feels like a lifetime...For Blake Belladonna, it feels like she will never be able to escape some pieces of her past.  Even as they continue to fight against Salem, the Grimm, and the forces of darkness, it falls to Team RWBY to band even closer together than before to combat not only the war raging outside, but also the turmoil within their own hearts.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	Haunting Memories

Darkness…

All around her, nothing but deep, yawning, infinite black.

Blake cast her eyes from side to side, searching desperately for something to see, _anything_ … but there was nothing. There was air, at least, but still her breathing quickened, her pulse accelerated. Despite her specializations in scouting and subterfuge, despite her semblance giving her a unique and powerful advantage when working solo… the one thing Blake Belladonna feared the most in life was being truly alone. And out here, surrounded by this wide expanse of emptiness, she had no one to keep her company but herself and her haunting memories.

Almost on cue her attention was caught by a flash of color at the edge of her vision. She turned, relieved to see something other than blackness in this void, but the flutter of hope which had bolstered her heart quickly faded as she recognized what had manifested before her. A glaring white mask with slits for eyes, accented with red; a shock of bright red hair, spiked in its all-too-familiar style; and below them both, a vague, indefinite figure, indistinct and shadowy against the ever-present backdrop of black.

“No…” Blake whispered, her voice pained and thin. She didn’t have many pleasant memories left of the man she had used to call her partner, her friend… her lover. Once she had finally been freed from his clutches, she had regained the ability to see what was truly happening between them - a twisted, broken relationship between a narcissistic madman and his prize mistress. “You’re gone… you’re not real!”

“Maybe,” Adam’s voice slithered into her ears, as indistinct and misty as the form she could see in front of her. The Adam-apparition smirked, a lopsided slash of a mouth appearing beneath the mask to leer at her. “But I never needed to actually be near you to control you, did I?”

Blake shook her head in denial, though in her heart she knew he spoke the truth. She could clearly remember times when Adam had influenced her seemingly out of nowhere, even when she hadn’t seen or heard from him in months, and as the memories blossomed in her mind they coalesced around her, replaying the scenes as if she were right there once more, watching from the sidelines.

_Team RWBY_ _’s room was a chaotic swirl of energetic preparation, with each girl frantically brushing out their hair, checking outfits, double-checking scrolls and wallets - well, each girl except Blake._

_“Are you sure you don’t want to come, Blake?” Ruby’s voice was plaintive, even potentially a touch whiny, though coming from their young team leader the tone was endearing rather than annoying. “It’s gonna be so much fun! But less fun without you there…”_

_Blake looked up from her book to see an adorably pouting Ruby using her trademark Puppy Dog Eyes, which would have been incredibly hard to say no to if the dark-haired faunus girl hadn_ _’t been so used to seeing the technique that the effect was lessened. Ruby had a tendency to use those soulful silver eyes of hers to beg for just about anything - for an extra cookie from one of her teammates, for some help finishing homework she had procrastinated in doing, even to attempt to convince Weiss to let her sleep in a few extra minutes when they were already going to be late for class. Their frequent use didn’t mean the PDE technique was ineffective, though. On the contrary, Ruby was still quite often able to get what she wanted with her ability, especially if her target was her sister Yang or, surprisingly, Weiss, who had developed something of a soft spot for the energetic redhead. No, it just meant Blake was seasoned in resisting Ruby’s power, and she was able to fight off the overwhelming urge to cave in, at least this time._

_“No, Ruby,” Blake reiterated for the tenth time that night, smiling gently at the girl over the top of her book. “I think I’d rather stay in tonight. Thank you for checking, though.”_

_Ruby offered a heavy sigh in response to Blake_ _’s refusal, though she seemed to accept it as she returned to her own frenzied preparations. When she was sure none of the other three were looking, the faunus girl let her smile fade as it was replaced by a worried frown. She didn’t know why, but something felt off about tonight. She felt like she knew something was going to go wrong, horribly wrong… like_ **_he_ ** _was going to show up and wreak havoc. She had no evidence, no proof, but even just the thought of Adam made her want to curl up and hide - so that_ _’s what she did. A book, a blanket, and her bed were here company for the evening, while her friends and teammates all went out to have fun without her… again._

The scene faded only to quickly be replaced by another, nearly identical save for the absence of Ruby, Weiss, and Yang. The curled ball of Blake’s body is visible beneath her blanket, with just her head and one hand holding a book revealed.

_“That… was… so… FUN!!” Ruby’s delighted exclamation was audible from the hallway several seconds before the dorm door burst open to admit the three girls. An excited air followed them inside and disturbed the quiet peace Blake had been enjoying, though she didn’t mind all that much. She was quite used to her carefully crafted tranquility being shattered by Ruby, Yang, or a combination of the two. Weiss, at least, usually had the decency to maintain the quiet, but the two sisters were much more boisterous than their teammates and they often had trouble controlling themselves unless scolded. “We danced, and ate food, and had punch, and… oh my gosh! Blake!!”_

_Ruby turned to face the faunus girl with a wide-eyed expression of pure glee._ _“Professor Ozpin danced with Professor Goodwitch!! It was so_ **_cute_ ** _!! She actually smiled! I don_ _’t think I’ve ever seen her smile before…”_

 _Blake felt a soft smile touching her lips at Ruby_ _’s simple joy. Their team leader’s enthusiasm was often infectious, causing even the strict Weiss to lose her composure from time to time, and Blake found it easy to let the girl’s happiness wash over her. She closed her book and set it aside, sitting up with her back against the wall behind her as she tugged the blanket up around her, maintaining her ensconced state even as she shifted positions. For a moment she was content, letting the positive vibes from her teammates infuse her own mood. It had all been fine; nothing had disturbed the party, and all of Blake’s worries had been for naught. All was well…_

 _Then the guilt raised its head, and Blake felt cold disappointment begin to replace the warmth her friends had brought into the room with them. What had she been so afraid of? Why was she letting Adam control her actions, even when the man hadn_ _’t been in her life for nearly a year? On top of that, why had her first instinct been to hide, leaving her teammates to face the potential threat without her? Adam was_ **_her_ ** _demon, not theirs; it was wrong of her to avoid facing him at the expense of her friends_ _…_

Flashes of other memories passed by, less detailed than the others but still just as vivid - Blake leaving a team lunch on a sunny Saturday afternoon because she had thought she heard the coded whistle of White Fang activity nearby; Team RWBY on scouting duty late at night with Blake nervously scanning each and every street corner and darkened shop window, her paranoia leading her to believe White Fang members could be lurking in every shadow…

Blake scrunched her eyes shut, not wanting to see more. She already knew her failings, her weaknesses; she didn’t want to see them replayed before her eyes. But seemingly against her will the scenes continued to play for her, and it was unclear whether she had reopened her eyes or if the visions were simply playing inside her eyelids to spite her efforts to avoid them.

She could see Yang’s severed arm flying through the air as Adam slid his still-singing sword back into its sheath. She could see herself standing apart from the blonde, unable or unwilling to act in her aid. She could see herself… running away. Fleeing the scene of horror and fear so that she wouldn’t have to experience the terror of not knowing what to do. Not knowing how to help… Leaving Yang behind, unconscious on the floor of that destroyed building. Blake’s only saving grace had been the emergency ping she had sent to their fellow team members before she had run, which had let Ruby and Weiss know where Yang had fallen. Once that was done, she had turned tail and fled, and the memory was merciless in its recollection of her cowardice.

But worse even than that was the memory that followed… the vision of Adam’s death.

She had been having this nightmare frequently since that day. It had been a triumphant moment for her, marking the point in her life when she became officially free from his torments - or so she thought. In truth, the fear of Adam’s influence on her life had only been replaced by fear of what she had done to be rid of him. She had killed the man… stabbed him through the chest with a fragment of Gambol Shroud’s blade. It had been in self-defense, Yang had said, and Blake had tried to believe in her words, but… every time she looked at her hands, she still saw them covered in the crimson blood of the man she had once been so close to - as close as she now was with Yang.

What if… she did the same thing to Yang?

As if on command, the view before her eyes shifted yet again, but this time it was not a memory of the past which greeted her. Instead, it was a scene she didn’t recognize, and yet it felt no less real than the ones before it. She could see a copy of herself, blade grasped in both hands as she drove it through the heart of a faceless foe. The look in her eyes was one of deliberate determination, just like it had been when she had faced off against Adam. As she watched herself drive the sword home, Blake took a harder look at the figure which was her opponent, examining it until its features took shape to reveal -

Yang…

“Bl… ake?…” Yang coughed, a splatter of blood accompanying the name as she struggled to speak. The blonde looked confused, as if she couldn’t understand how she had a blade sticking out of her chest, let alone why her partner of many years was holding the grip. Those beautiful violet eyes held numerous emotions, and Blake could interpret them all with ease - pain, sadness, confusion… but worst of all, betrayal. The scene was awful, terrible, impossible, and it filled the faunus with a terror the likes of which she had never known in her life. As the light faded from Yang’s eyes and she sagged forward onto the sword’s hilt, Blake could hear the horrible sound of a woman screaming.

Covering her ears, Blake tried to shut out the heart-wrenching wail, but it did nothing to help. After all, the scream was coming from her own mouth.


End file.
